Security and Warning Systems

News about Security and Warning Systems, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jan. 30, 2015

Law enforcement and security officials who protect big events like the Super Bowl and buildings like White House say detecting and stopping drones is increasingly problematic, although they have not been used in terrorist attack; warn that drones could be utilized to carry explosives, guns and other threatening equipment or materiel. MORE

Jan. 1, 2015

Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it is disabling emergency exit sirens at all of its subway stations, acknowledging that sirens have done little to discourage fare evasion. MORE

Dec. 30, 2014

Joe Sharkey On the Road column underscores egregious security breach at Hartsfield-Jackson Atalanta International Airport that allowed airline employee Mark Q Henry to board plane bound for New York with 16 firearms concealed in backpack; says incident raises questions about New York City Police Dept investigation into arms smuggling operation, which had targeted Henry as suspect but had no idea he was bringing guns on board planes. MORE

Dec. 28, 2014

Claire Martin Prototype column notes schools, in wake of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, are seeking ways to delay attackers outside buildings until police arrive; points out firm School Guard Glass has invented inexpensive strong glass meant to stop intruders for at least four to six minutes. MORE

Dec. 8, 2014

New high-tech approach to handling school shootings has been tested at school in Methuen, Mass, to determine whether it is possible to react more effectively; Shooter Detection Systems installs free of charge sensors and microphones that can pick up sound of gunfire and immediately notify school and law enforcement officials where and when it occurred. MORE

Nov. 14, 2014

Homeland Security Dept review finds intruder Omar Gonzalez was able to climb a fence and enter White House in September because of series of failures by Secret Service; investigation reveals that among failures of performance, one officer with an attack dog did not even realize intruder had made it over fence because he was sitting in his van talking on his personal cellphone. MORE

Oct. 3, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Ann Hagedorn questions government vetting of private security contractors that are being employed by increasing number of agencies; says revelation that Pres Obama rode in elevator with a contractor who was carrying a gun and had an arrest record should shake all Americans from complacency; calls for system of checks and balances in government contracting that reflects new age of private security. MORE

Sep. 25, 2014

Govs Andrew M Cuomo of New York and Chris Christie of New Jersey jointly call for a more pronounced security presence across their states, citing the persistent threat of terrorism; sign memorandum of understanding calling for additional police visibility at airports, bridges and tunnels. MORE

Sep. 22, 2014

Secret Service is considering screening tourists and other visitors at checkpoints before entering public areas in front of White House; considered change is in response to episode in which Omar Gonzalez, who was carrying a knife, managed to get through front door of White House after jumping over fence on Pennsylvania Avenue. MORE

Sep. 18, 2014

New York City police beef up security in response to possible threat of terrorist attack in Times Square; officials stress they have no credible information about specific plans against city, but are being cautious in light of online post purportedly from Islamic State encouraging 'lone wolf' attacks on tourist attractions around nation. MORE

Aug. 27, 2014

Bill signed by California Gov Jerry Brown will require that all smartphones sold in state after July 2015 include so-called kill switch, which lets owner remotely deactivate phone after it has been stolen; devices appear to have been factor in decline in thefts. MORE

Aug. 3, 2014

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column answers questions about publicizing findings of video-processing algorithms that can alert college campuses about probability of impending crimes, taking a bribe and cashing a twelve-year-old check. MORE

Jul. 31, 2014

Teenager Justin Casquejo pleads guilty in misdemeanor for climbing 1 World Trade Center tower; incident has raised concerned about security at site. MORE

Jul. 18, 2014

Washington-area residents have discovered benefits and inconveniences when armed personnel move in to protect lawmakers, Supreme Court justices and cabinet members. MORE

Jul. 4, 2014

Jim Dwyer About New York column recounts experience he shared with musician Elvis Costello when both, along with family and entourage, were detained at Ohio's Columbus Airport due to security scare; notes fellow Irishman Costello's amusement when told the source of the scare was inadvertent phone alarm set off by Dwyer's father. MORE

Jun. 19, 2014

Since Apple introduced anti-theft technology in September, police in several cities say iPhone thefts have dropped. Now, Google and Microsoft are also adding “kill switches.” MORE

Jun. 4, 2014

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, responding to outcry over killing of 6-year-old Prince Joshua Avitto in Brooklyn, blames 'unacceptable bureaucracy' for delays in installing security cameras in many public housing projects, including one where boy was stabbed to death. MORE

Jun. 3, 2014

Brooklyn community leaders say search for a man who fatally stabbed 6-year-old Prince Joshua Avitto and critically wounded 7-year-old Mikayla Capers in Boulevard Houses public housing project is being made more difficult because building has no surveillance cameras; many public housing projects across New York City do not have surveillance cameras, despite more than $60 million that city has allocated for them over past few years. MORE

May. 14, 2014

Airlines, governments, pilots and aircraft manufacturers, meeting at conference, reach wide agreement on need for a global system for tracking commercial aircraft; parties sidestep key question of whether aircrews should be able to turn off such equipment; issue gained urgency following disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. MORE

May. 8, 2014

Travelers can find themselves prevented from visiting some countries as immigration policies tighten and the security and technology to enforce them increase; databases and digital tracks people that leave on social media have made it easier for immigration agents to investigate and deny entry to travelers with evidence of a criminal record, political activism or intention to work without a visa. MORE

Apr. 10, 2014

Energy Department's inspector general reports that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission may not have adequate controls to protect information that could be used to sabotage the national power grid. MORE

Apr. 4, 2014

Replay of a mass shooting at Fort Hood raises questions about what lessons Army officials had learned from 2009 Fort Hood rampage by Maj Nidal Malik Hasan, and how prepared they are to deal with threats from within; questions arise on security, as base uses honor system to keep guns outside gates. MORE

Mar. 29, 2014

David Velazquez resigns his position as assistant security director for the Durst Organization, real estate firm in charge of 1 World Trade Center, amid a flurry of security breaches at the site. MORE

Mar. 26, 2014

CNN producers Yonatan Pomrenze and Connor Fieldman Boals, seeking to report on breaches of security at the World Trade Center site, are arrested as they try to break into area; their arrests, on charges of trespassing, disorderly conduct and obstruction of governmental administration, come amid intense scrutiny of security at the World Trade Center site. MORE

Mar. 25, 2014

Sky divers Andrew Rossig, James Brady and Marco Markovich turn themselves into New York City police, admitting they parachuted off 1,776-foot tower at 1 World Trade Center in September 2013; one of them says stunt exposed need for more vigilance at site, given that trio climbed stairs of the 104-floor building without encountering any security guard; men are expected to be charged with trespassing. MORE

Mar. 21, 2014

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey says it is still trying to determine how teenager Justin Casquejo snuck past security at 1 World Trade Center and spent two hours making his way to the top of the 1,776-foot tower. MORE

Mar. 11, 2014

Boston continues preparations for ceremony to honor those killed and injured in bombings at 2013 Boston Marathon and to stage 2014 race that organizers say will be one of city's biggest and safest; security challenges will be immense, as route covers 26.2-miles in eight cities and towns along path lined by spectators on both sides. MORE

Feb. 27, 2014

Boston Marathon will have no-bags policy as part of increased security after deadly bombing at 2013 race. MORE

Feb. 20, 2014

Several forthcoming home-monitoring products allow users to keep an eye on their apartments, often using a smartphone; some have questioned effect of such devices on privacy. MORE

Feb. 18, 2014

LED light fixtures at Newark Liberty International Airport are part of new wireless network that collects data, holding promise of better management of security as well as energy, traffic and people; system uses array of sensors and eight video cameras to gather and feed data into software; privacy advocates say system also raises specter of technology racing ahead of ability to harness it, running risks of invading privacy and mismanaging information. MORE

Feb. 14, 2014

Tens of thousands of officers, surveillance blimps and a system that can analyze live video images of visitors and detect someone in an agitated emotional state are among elements of remarkable security system in place at Sochi; Russian government's efforts to protect Winter Olympic Games has resulted in what is believed to be the most expensive Olympics ever held. MORE

Jan. 30, 2014

Sen Charles E Schumer of New York announces Justice Department grant to pay for voluntary-use GPS tracking devices for children with autism or other conditions that put them at risk for fleeing their caregivers; move comes following death of Avonte Oquendo, boy with severe autism who walked away from his Queens school; his remains were found in East River after exhaustive search. MORE

Jan. 28, 2014

Hotels are beefing up security to combat more sophisticated efforts by criminals, including advanced key cards, smaller video cameras and employee training. MORE

Jan. 22, 2014

Top military officers from United States and Russia open discussions about using sophisticated American electronic equipment in new effort to help secure the Winter Games in Sochi in February, even as Russia imposes the most intensive security apparatus in Olympic history. MORE

Jan. 19, 2014

Government of Russian Pres Vladimir V Putin has implemented security apparatus around city of Sochi that officials describe as most intensive in history of Olympic Games; critics fear measures will temper spirit of Games and that government is using pretext of safety to stifle dissent. MORE

Jan. 17, 2014

School lockdowns, in age of Columbine and Sandy Hook, have become fixture of the school day for students across the country; at the whiff of a threat, teachers are now instructed to snap off the lights, lock the doors and take refuge in corners and closets. MORE

Jan. 16, 2014

Already difficult task of providing security for the Super Bowl will be even more complex in current season, as NFL prepares to turn large swath of Broadway in Manhattan into an open-air football festival called Super Bowl Boulevard; string of other events in Brooklyn, Manhattan and New Jersey will only add to logistical challenges, demanding cooperation between more than 100 law enforcement agencies across state lines. MORE

Dec. 12, 2013

Kit Eaton State of the Art column; Dropcam has a robust new model of its baby monitor, with features like infrared, two-way audio, HD video-recording webcam and motion detection. MORE

Dec. 10, 2013

Many towns in Connecticut began taking a closer look at their security after massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in December 2012; example of increased vigilance is on full view in Fairfield, where local police have found new ways to help schools and the community at large thwart potential violence. MORE

Dec. 3, 2013

California company Knightscope has developed mobile robot, known as K5 Autonomous Data Machine, to be used as safety and security tool for corporations as well as for schools and neighborhoods; robot has raised concerns regarding privacy and, at an operating cost of $6.25 an hour, the loss of low-wage security jobs filled by humans. MORE

Nov. 29, 2013

Lawmakers and police warn that homemade firearms could become national law enforcement problem if the Undetectable Firearms Act is not renewed before it expires in December; rise in 3-D printing technology has made it far easier to produce working plastic weapons that can slip through metal detectors and X-ray machines. MORE

Nov. 27, 2013

Operators of shopping malls are stepping up measures like cooperation with police agencies and installation of closed circuit television, and even enlisting shoppers, while trying to keep malls welcoming places. MORE

Nov. 14, 2013

David W Dunlap Building Blocks column; group in Lower Manhattan is preparing to sue New York Police Department over its security plan for World Trade Center site; says department's proposed security measures will leave site in isolation and area around it closed off and 'as impervious to traffic as the Berlin Wall.' MORE

Nov. 13, 2013

Editorial warns that relief efforts in the Philippines are facing serious obstacles as huge numbers of survivors of Typhoon Haiyan grow desperate for aid; contends faster evacuation may be the only way to save more lives in the future and urges Philippine officials to re-examine early warning systems and evacuation procedures once the crisis is past. MORE

Nov. 4, 2013

Juliet Macur Sports of The Times column explores effects of increased security at New York City Marathon, which was shored up in response to bombings at Boston Marathon in April; notes that while participants felt assured by precautions, they were also quick to express sadness at current state of affairs. MORE

Nov. 4, 2013

Many New York City marathoners say they felt safe with heightened security measures implemented by New York Police Dept, which included increase in police officers, metal detectors, checkpoints and cameras. MORE

Nov. 3, 2013

Two new motion-detection systems are being tested in Ontario, Canada, to warn motorists when animals like moose and deer wander onto the road. MORE

Nov. 2, 2013

New York Police Department plans to deploy helicopters, police boats, scuba divers, bomb-sniffing dogs and hundreds of cameras, as well as hundreds of officers, at New York City Marathon; enhanced security plan was developed after Boston Marathon bombings. MORE

Oct. 6, 2013

New York City residences both large and small are stepping up their reliance on surveillance cameras, and enthusiasm among tenants has made question of privacy versus security all but moot; brokers are often hesitant to mention cameras, fearing that doing so could worry potential buyers about crime. MORE

Sep. 5, 2013

Experts discuss low-cost, high-impact approaches to home security, including locks, motion-sensitive lights and webcams. MORE

On Dec. 10, a man carrying a backpack containing 16 firearms with ammunition flew aboard a Delta Air Lines passenger jet to Kennedy International Airport in New York from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.